Clean and healthy environment enables man to live a healthy and fulfilled life. The administration of General Muhammadu Buhari and General Tunde Idiagbon in the 80’s,introduced and enforced environmental policy that encouraged Nigerians to take ownership of their environment by regularly participating actively in environmental sanitation. Then people were more conscious, disciplined, and dedicated to their environment.
Today, there seem to be increasing abuse of the environment, in spite of various measures initiated by successive administrations including compulsory sanitation hours every last Saturday of the month to enable people participate in cleaning their environment. Some state governors have also initiated street sweeping, all geared towards promoting a clean and healthy environment.
Anambra State government and some other state governors as well as non governmental organizations have equally embarked on tree planting to enhance a greener environment.
Unfortunately indiscriminate dumping of waste materials, has persisted in spite of measures take by various State governments and waste management agencies
Again, indiscriminate drilling of water boreholes in compounds without planning and necessary environmental assessment with looming dangers of landslide and earthquake in the future is another threat to environment and healthy living. Fortunately, Governor Soludo administration has embarked on restoration of public water supply through resuscitation of various water schemes to ensure regular water supply to households.
Dirty environment breeds mosquitoes which spreads parasite that cause malaria. There is often outbreak of other diseases and sicknesses from dirty environment including cholera which add to financial burdens of families who are forced to visit hospitals regularly as well as reduce level of productivity because people produce less when they are sick.
Governor Soludo’s administration initiated the “Green and liveable Anambra mantra . The idea is to build a liveable environment for a healthier population of ndi Anambra. He started with planting trees at strategic locations in the state. Ndi Anambra can take a cue from that and participate actively in the drive to help make the environment cleaner and healthier by saying no to indiscriminate dumping of refuse or dumping of refuse in drainage channels.
There is need for proper reorientation of children in schools on healthy sanitation culture by making available waste bins in various classes and ensuring every child uses it properly.
More efforts should be made by various environmental task force to apprehend and prosecute anyone that throws or dumps dirts in authorized places.
Stakeholders in physical planning should equally sustain efforts towards discouraging indiscriminate drilling of boreholes and building on drainage channels.
It is the collective responsibility of the government and the people to protect the environment especially now that the whole world is being threatened by myriads of outbreak of sicknesses and diseases.
A cleaner and greener environment promotes healthy living, healthy living engenders productive people and productive people bring about a wealthier nation.
Nigeria shall be great again and the time to start, is now.
NONYE NWOKOYE
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